Page 52 of Army
“So, what’ll you have?” The woman acted like it was an enormous amount of work to take her order.
“The mushroom-Swiss burger—medium—and a salad instead of fries. Please bring me oil and vinegar for the dressing.”
“What would you like?” she asked Army as another toothy smile spread over her lips.
The woman walked away after taking his order, and Army earned bonus points for not looking at her butt in her short uniform dress. He smiled at Mia and took her hand in his and kissed the tips of each one of her fingers as his gaze bored into hers.
Shivers sparked along her spine, and she willed herself to focus on finding out why he’d been such an ass to her at the gym. She gently pulled her hand away and returned his intense stare.
“Are you going to tell me now why you acted like a jerk at the gym?”
“Let me get some Jack in me.” The familiar roguish smile flashed across his face as he winked at her, sending a tingle of arousal along her spine, prickling in her breasts.
The waitress put a glass in front of Mia while her eyes fixed on Army. “Here you go. I put an extra shot in it for you.” She placed her purple-tipped finger to her lips. “It’s our secret.”
“Thanks,” Army said, lifting the tumbler to his lips.
The woman lingered for a couple of seconds, but when Army’s attention never wavered from Mia, she turned and walked away.
Mia watched as his full lips hugged the rim of the glass and his throat vibrated as the whiskey slid down it.He’s too damn sexy. He’s messing me up. I’m still pissed at him.“Well? You got some whiskey in you.”
“Patience isn’t one of your strong points outside of the ring.” Another few swigs then he put his hands over hers. “I took shit out on you tonight. I already told you I was an asshole.”
“But you told me you were mad at yourself. What are you mad about? Me?”
“Yes … and no. Shit. I don’t talk about my feelings, so this is hard.”
“I understand, but it’s important for me to know why you’re mad at me.”
“Notatyou. I’m pissed about liking you. So I guess I said all that to punish you for getting to me. Aw shit … I don’t know.” He picked up his glass with one hand while the other remained on top of hers, then he threw back the rest of the drink.
“I get what you’re saying. I kinda feel the same way—mad because I like you. I’m just not passive-aggressive like you are. Is this fucked up, or what?”
“I guess so. I’ve never liked a chick in the way I like you.”
“You mean as a friend.”
“I don’t see you as a fuckin’ friend. I like you. A lot.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I wanna keep seeing you.”
Excitement simmered under her skin as she trembled. “I want to keep seeing you too.”
He gave her a chin lift.
“But no more antics like you pulled tonight. We can talk about things if something’s bothering you, but don’t take it out on me.”
“I get it—give respect in order to get it. I’m down with that. Respect is everything. It’s the code. The way to live.”
“And trust is important too.”
Army’s jaw hardened. “Trust is earned, and it comes from actions—not words.”
“I agree. I think we both have some issues with it based on our pasts.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t have any issues with it other than it doesn’t mean shit to most people.”
His mother.“Yeah. Most people are not dependable.”My mother. Christ we both have mommy issues.
“That’s why earning trust is important and actions are key.”
